Why Should Anyone Follow Your Company on Twitter?

If your business’ Twitter followers find themselves asking this question, it’s probably not a good omen for the quality of your social marketing campaign. If your followers can’t formulate a snappy answer, it’s probably more dire.

Nobody likes to see their social media feeds clogged with pointless promotions and endless drivel. If there’s not an easy and obvious answer to this all-important question of why, you can bet your brand’s social media endeavors are going to run out of steam in a hurry.

And yet, it is remarkable how many business owners never stop to ask themselves the why question. Go ahead and ask it of yourself: Why would anyone want to follow your business’ tweets? Don’t think of it from the perspective of the business owner or of someone who has an investment in the company. Think like you’re just another consumer: Would you follow your business on Twitter?

If the answer is no, then you’ve got some work to do. Not to worry, though. There are plenty of ways in which you can infuse your company Twitter feed with some truly compelling reasons for your followers to stay connected.

Because You’re Offering Exclusivity!

Can the content you’re tweeting about readily be found on your company website? That is to say, if someone spends a few minutes carefully reading your website content, is there really any need to follow you on Twitter? In order to get followers — and to keep them — it is paramount you create tweets that offer something exclusive. Something that cannot be found anywhere else, whether on your business website or on other social media sites.

The implications here are several. For one, cross-posting everything to Facebook and Twitter, while easy, is not necessarily effective. For another, it’s important to spend some time brainstorming some specific ways to sweeten the deal for your Twitter followers.

A great solution is to offer some Twitter-only promos. Better still, make them time-sensitive: a “happy hour” promotion, so to speak. Try this: “For the next two hours, anyone who contacts us and mentions this tweet gets 20 percent off their order.” Promotions like this make your followers feel like they are part of the elite — and like there’s actually something tangible in it for them.

Because You’re Offering Authority!

The idea of content curation is big in social media marketing, and it’s not hard to understand why. If you’re an accountant, and The Wall Street Journalor Forbes runs an article about why everyone needs to go see their accountant, it is obviously in your best interests to re-tweet that article. However, in curating content, it is vital to never lose sight of the main goal, which is that you’re trying to establish your own industry authority.

What this means is that setting up Google Alerts for certain keywords and tweeting out every article that triggers them is insufficient. Though it will take a bit more time, it is helpful to actually read articles and perhaps even offer a commentary on them. You might really shake things up by tweeting out a link to an article you don’t really agree with, explaining your dissent; taking an unorthodox position shows you’re engaging with your industry rather than just rehashing all of its clichés.

Because You’re Offering Personality!

When all else fails, a Twitter feed can be an ideal avenue for showcasing your company’s personality. Don’t underestimate the value of this. There may be dozens of plumbing companies in your hometown — but what if you’re the only local plumber who regularly tweets “day in the life” photos or glimpses of your staff “behind the scenes”? Immediately, you’ve made your company into the one that people can relate to, the one that seems human rather than faceless and corporate. This is not for nothing; people want to do business with someone they can trust, and how can they trust you if they don’t even feel like they know you?

You may have other reasons why someone would want to follow your brand on Twitter — but do make sure there is some reason, and that it’s a good one. The success of your social marketing efforts depends on it.

Author bio:

Amanda E. Clark is CEO and Editor in Chief at Grammar Chic, Inc. She hopes this article convinced you it was worth following her company on Twitter.